More than $800,000 given to B.C. artists at BreakOut West

The grant awards for the inaugural AMPLIFY BC Career Development Grants were announced at the BreakOut West festival in Kelowna Saturday.

“AMPLIFY BC provides much-needed funding to our talented B.C. musicians and music sector,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, who announced the awards. “With nearly 300 music companies in our province, our music industry is thriving. And we want to keep it growing. I look forward to seeing what our artists achieve with the career development support provided through this program.”

Seventy-five B.C. artists are receiving funding for career development projects, totalling more than $880,000. This program supports emerging and established artists in B.C. by funding sound recordings, music videos and marketing initiatives, as well as attracting national and international business to B.C. recording studios.

AMPLIFY BC is a $7.5-million music fund established by the government in early 2018. The initiative supports people working in B.C.’s diverse music industry and focuses on four funding areas:

Industry initiatives supporting the development of B.C.’s music industry, including training, skills development, research and a new focus on young up-and-coming talent.

Career development focusing on emerging and established artists.

Live music supporting B.C.-based live music events, creating engagement opportunities for audiences, artists and youth to enhance music tourism around B.C.

Music company development focusing on sustainability and building the capacity of B.C.’s music companies.

“The AMPLIFY BC initiative is an incredible sign of the value British Columbia places on culture and creators,” said Robyn Stewart of BreakOut West. ”It is projects like this that enable B.C. artists to be highly competitive on the world stage.”

BreakOut West is the Western Canadian music industry’s annual conference and festival. It showcases talented artists from across Western Canada and celebrates their successes through the Western Canadian Music Alliance industry awards. Of this year’s award nominees, 66 are from British Columbia.

The four-day event received more than $258,000 in provincial funding to assist with hosting the event in Kelowna. This funding also includes B.C.’s contribution to the operations of the Western Canada Music Alliance. Thousands of people are expected to attend industry events and performances, including about 600 national and international delegates.